Vena Energy has kicked off commercial operation of the Wandoan South Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), one of the largest utility-scale batteries in Australia.

The Wandoan BESS, in the Western Downs region, has a capacity of 100MW and can store up to 150 megawatt-hours of energy.

Vena Energy Australia head Owen Sela said reaching operational status for the Wandoan South BESS represented a transformative milestone for both Vena Energy’s mission and Australia’s renewable energy future.

“With the largest utility scale battery in Queensland now operational, it will encourage more renewable energy generation and help manage the supply and demand balance in the national electricity grid,” he said.

Full operational dispatch rights of the Wandoan South BESS have now been formally handed over to AGL on a fixed long-term contract for 15 years.

AGL chief operating officer Markus Brokhof said the Wandoan South BESS would be capable of dispatching 100MW of power to the grid during periods when renewable generators were less available due to lack of wind and sun, the equivalent of powering 57,000 homes.

“During the day when renewables are online, the Wandoan South BESS is able to store this energy and then release it when the sun isn’t shining, the wind isn’t blowing, or other forms of generation are offline,” Mr Brokhof said.

“This is important for providing security to the energy market and avoiding system constraints, particularly in areas like the Darling Downs with a large local load and the potential for a high renewable energy build over the coming decade.”

Mr Brokhof said storage projects like the Wandoan South BESS would enable AGL to leverage excess solar generation in Queensland and provide capacity when the AGL’s Cooper’s Gap Wind Farm was not generating or when the energy market needed it.